The DLSU Green and Lady Shuttlers suffered a tough double defeat from the UST Growling Tigers and Tigresses in their respective UAAP Season 89 Badminton Tournament ties earlier today, October 24, at Gameville Central Park.
The DLSU Green Shuttlers fell to the UST Growling Tigers in a humbling 3-2 defeat, breaking the Taft-based squad’s winning momentum and concluding DLSU’s Round 1 campaign with two singles wins from Lovic Javier and Joshua Cuarte.
Similarly, the Lady Shuttlers capped off their Round 1 campaign with a tough 3-2 setback against the UST Golden Tigresses, finding success only in the first and last singles matches.
Back and Forth
DLSU’s Gift Linaban faced Clark Brillantes in the first singles matchup, setting the tone early with a calculated poise. The Green-and-White athlete took an early 3-0 lead and stayed ahead in the first half, with Brillantes following closely as the score reached 11-8 by the midpoint of the match. In the second half, the Growling Tigers took control in a complete turnaround, going on a dominant 13-3 run to silence the Green-and-White. While Brillantes played with confidence in the second half, Linaban’s silky touch with the shuttlecock had faltered, giving the España-based squad a 21-15 victory. This show of dominance in the first carried to the second, as Brillantes claimed a comfortable 21-14 win and a 2-0 match victory.
In the second singles match, Season 88 Rookie of the Year Javier halted the Growling Tigers’ momentum and cruised to victory against Aaron Bedaña. Javier played with electrifying energy, as Bedaña was unable to respond to his barrage of deadeye overhead smashes and cross-court drives. The Green-and-White athlete converted this advantage into a clean 2-0 win, with scores amounting to 21-11 and 21-8, and securing DLSU’s first match point at 1-1.
Karl Contreras and Zaki Layno headed the first doubles match for the Green-and-White against UST’s Ron Galve and Bien Miraflor, as both teams traded smashes and rallied in an exciting first set. The Growling Tigers held the lead for the majority of the match, looking to close out the first set, but Layno and Contreras spearheaded a late comeback to flip the match into a deuce. Despite valiant efforts from the Taft-based squad, Galve and Miraflor regained control and narrowly clinched a 22-20 victory. Following the crushing first-set defeat, Contreras and Layno were unable to rally past the confident Growling Tigers in the second set, losing 21-15 and putting DLSU down 2-1.
With the Green Shuttlers’ backs against the wall, AJ Jurada and Rey Dalimo-os suited up to break down UST’s John Espinoza and Manuel Fulmentera in a pivotal matchup that would either keep DLSU alive for the final tiebreaker or send the Green-and-White packing in heartbreaking loss. In the first set, the Green Shuttlers utilized a strategy in which Dalimo-os attacked from the backcourt while Jurada picked off low net shots to catch the opposing UST duo off-guard, leading to a decisive 21-11 win. In the second set, the España-based squad picked up the pace with calculated counter-attacks and unexpected pace changes to neutralize DLSU’s initial fast-paced strategy, taking an 11-8 lead by the half-point mark. Despite trailing closely, the Green Shuttlers lost control as UST maintained the lead for the latter half of the game and claimed a 21-16 victory, forcing a deciding third set. In the pivotal tiebreaker, both teams played with intense passion and traded back-and-forth smashes and overhead clears, tying early at 2-2. Reaching the halfway mark, Espinoza and Fulmentera pushed forward with flawless team coordination and composure, as shown by their winning of pivotal long rallies, and claimed a 9-7 lead against the Green-and-White. Jurada and Dalimo-os had no answer for the Tiger Shuttlers’ momentum, as the España-based squad went on a crushing 7-1 run, doubling the match score to 16-8. The Green Shuttlers, facing the brink of elimination, gave their all and kept alive with electrifying smashes and tight defense. These efforts by DLSU amounted to a late comeback and an 8-3 run, before a costly receiving error by Dalimo-os gave the Growling Tigers a chance to regain serving rights, as they eventually went on to nail the final match point and win the third set, 21-16, establishing a 3-1 lead.
In the third singles match, team captains Cuarte and Ivan Tuazon clashed rackets in the final matchup. Fresh off an October 21st showing where he secured the first win over UP since UAAP Season 82, Cuarte started the first set with powerful attacking smashes and backhand flicks to take an 11-7 lead at the half. Despite valiant efforts from Tuazon, DLSU’s momentum carried on, as Cuarte kept a comfortable pace and took the first match against UST, 21-16. The Green Shuttlers kept the same tone for the second set, as Cuarte’s high-level composure led to a convincing 21-15 victory, sweeping Tuazon 2-0 and earning DLSU two points to UST’s three.
Narrow margin
Kim Lagare delivered the Lady Shuttlers’ first match win of the tie, battling back from a set down to defeat UST’s Shark Ceverza in three games. After Ceverza edged a tight 21-19 opening game, Lagare adjusted her game plan, increasing her frontcourt aggression to take weak lifts and a commanding 11-5 lead at the interval. The tactical shift paid off immediately as Lagare conceded one more point before winning 21-6 to force the decider. Carrying the momentum into the final game, Lagare dictated the pace from the baseline and net to secure a 21-15 victory.
In the second singles match, Lady Tuario squared off against Season 88 Rookie of the Year Hanie De Jesus of the Golden Tigresses. After trading rallies up to 16-all in the first game, De Jesus relied on deceptive shot selection and sharp cross-court angles to edge ahead 21-18. Refusing to yield, a recomposed Tuario stormed through the second game; she raced to an 11-1 advantage at the interval before closing out a 21-8 win. De Jesus regained her rhythm with well-placed cross-court clears and drop shots against Tuario, taking an 11-7 lead at the interval and holding on to 21-16 to claim UST’s first match point.
The opening doubles duel saw DLSU’s Athena Villanueva and Erin Vitangcol against España’s Tin Dorega and Harlene Herbabuena, with the latter winning in straight games. The España-based squad seized early control of the first game with an 11-3 interval cushion into a 21-10 win. Villanueva and Vitangcol adjusted their rotations and mounted a stronger defensive push in the second set. Dorega and Herbabuena countered with relentless attacking pressure and mid-court intercepts to seal the match, 21-16.
Next up, La Salle’s Army Espe and Venice Salopong went against UST’s captain-and-co-captain duo of Maye Alvarez and Gab Ainza. The Green-and-White dictated the pace early as Espe unleashed powerful direct smashes, with DLSU holding an 11-8 lead at the mid-game interval. However, Ainza’s backcourt coverage and defensive resets helped turn the tide and steal the first game, 21-15. In the second game, both teams traded heavy smashes to tie at 5-all before the España-based pair took advantage of the Green-and-White’s lapses in coordination to lead by three points at the interval. UST maintained their momentum to close out the game 21-16, securing the match and clinching the overall tie for the Golden Tigresses.
Wrapping up the day in the final singles match, Ghiselle Bautista went against AK Vitangcol to salvage a point for the Lady Shuttlers. The opening game developed into a point-for-point duel, and after deadlocking at 12-all and pushing into deuce at 20-all, Vitangcol took the bacon home, 22-20 in a close bout. Unfazed, Bautista took the reins in the second game, neutralizing Vitangcol’s heavy smashes and sharp cross-court angles while placing accurate smashes and lifts to edge out a 21-19 win. The deciding game was even; both players battled to an 11-10 score at the interval, with Bautista leading. As the strenuous battle went on, Bautista’s superior rally tolerance pulled away in the closing points, capturing the final game 21-16 to lock in La Salle’s second match point.
The DLSU Green and Lady Shuttlers finish their Round 1 campaigns on a losing record, both 3-2, with the Men’s squad looking for a last-chance hail mary into the Final Four against the UST Growling Tigers again tomorrow, October 25, at 8 am, at the same venue.